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Book abstract:
This book is published jointly by Council of Europe Publishing and New European Publications to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Council of Europe in 1999. It focuses on an institution that was born out of a determination to oppose violence and oppression wherever it might manifest itself. It aims to take an in-depth look into the origin and purpose of the Council, not to chronicle its history but 'almost to resuscitate the principle out of which it was born'.
The book is divided into three main parts: an introductory chapter; contributions; first from those directly involved in the work of the Council and second from those concerned with the ideas from the outside; and a final chapter by the editor, John Coleman, which seeks to identify some common threads and shared conclusions.
The first group of contributors include: Cosmo Russell, who was with Winston Churchill at the inauguration of the Council; Sir Peter Smithers, who was its Secretary General in the early post-war period and whose strong views are shaped by those times; Canon Barney Milligan, who represented the Churches over the period of the change and collapse of the Soviet Union; and Dr Robin Guthrie, who was Director of Social and Economic Affairs at the Council of Europe until recently. The second group of contributors are those who express their views from outside the Council or even outside Europe. Among them, Václav Havel gives an account of the development of his views on the structure of Europe, George Carey expresses a Christian message and Diana Schumacher looks at our failure to save the very world our physical existence depends upon.
This is a book with a diversity of voices which will undoubtedly prompt reflection in the reader.
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